Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-21
THE AMERICAN GIRL.
Where She Comes from and What
She is Doing.


lacks feminine population at any sea-
son, but from October to May the multi
tudes are multiplied. The American girl
is famous for spending her winters some
where studying something. Boston used
to be trimming with her. The Conserva-
tory of Music drew her from altar, and
she was attracted by the opportunities
for classes in this, that ana everything
else that the omnlscient Hub teaches.
Boston sees a good deal Of her still, but
New York is growing TO be more and
more the Mecca toward which her eyes
turn every year with the falling of the
leaves.
She comes from everywhere and she Is
doing everything. You meet her at every
lecture and every concert. You can't see
"a play without seeing her too. She sits
in the balcony because she can't afford an
orchestra chair, and she wishes again and
again that the proprieties allowed her to
spare her purse by cheaper seat yet, on
high with the gods of the gallery. She is
flushed with the daring Of an evening ex-
cursion without other escort than girl
friend. She looks at the stage, and 1t Is
often by the wholesome freshness OF her
interest that you know her. She visits the
art galleries, catalogue in hand, and you
run across her at the libraries. She has
taken the city by storm and she looks as
If she ENJOYED it.
To see her in her glory you must look
her up at Cooper Union. Nearly DOC
young women pupils are under instruc-
ton In the free art classes alone this win
ter, and something like 1000 have been
turned away for lack of room. Often
enough it happens that this Omnipresent
American girl comes to the city without
money in her purse but with plenty OF
faith in her heart. Then it is that she
displays herself as being Of infinite re-
source. She teaches, she turns stenog-
rapher, she runs a typewriter, she colors
photo negatives by day, studies at night,
Sometimes, even, she graduates into a
book agent--of the comparatively harm
less, inoffensive variety, these amateurs
are for the most part-vIsiting 'swomen,
clergymen and dOctors' only. In one
way and another she pays her way, she
has her winter in the city.
So much OF an Institution has she be-
come that the city is beginning to feel
some responsibility for her. She Is a
home-loving creature, in spite of her
nomadic habits, and used to home CON-
forts. She doesn't like the modern board
ing house, and for the most part she can
not pay its prices. The boarding house
mistress doesn't like the winter girl. In
Difference to her slim purse and the
amount she wishes to see and to do for
small money, she inquiries for hall bed
room well up. and she is apt to burn the
gas to heat tin pail of tea, or to present
herself in the kitchen to borrow hot iron
to attend to part of her own laundry
work. The landIady accordingly insti-
tutes a lockout. She won't take the
American girl, and the girl, considering
the 81 or So per week which is her lowest
charge, does not so greatly mourn over the
exclusion.
What becomes then OF the would. be in
dependent girl in the city, She is a
special product of civilization, and
have been interesting myself for the past
week to learn what special means civili-
cation is adopting to provide for her. The
metropolis hasn't quite solved the prob
lem she presents, l think, and the girl stu
dent, like the teacher and the underpaid
woman worker generally, is not in all
cases so comfortab BILE as she would like to
be. Still the city is making beginning.
There are establishments that have
sprung up expressly for the selt-relying
girl in the city, though they are as yet
very few, few enough for me to count on
| my fingers. for the benefit of the next
Corners, and there are special difficulties
split on the rock of superfluous rules and
regulations, the identicalreef that wreck
ed Stewards unlucky failure of work
ingwomen's hotel; and one or TWO have
found to their sorrow that no matter how
low they put their rates-below cost even
they must not hint at charity, for the
American girl would bankrupt herself
twice over sooner than enter into other
than seemed to her a business-like agree
ment.
The oldest of the special women's board
ing houses that l have visited in New
York is the ''Young Women's Home," 81
Washington square, north, which has a
record of almost a quarter of century
behind il. 1t is, L think, the largest, as
well as the first OF the girls boarding
houses, and finds room for nearly 100
young women, with perhaps half that
number in a branch home, at 30S Second
avenue. A third house is to be established
in course of q few months wherever a
suitable locality in the city is found.
Board at the Young Women's Home
ranges from SO to 50 per week, and for
this sum young girl-no one who is
married or above fixed age is admitted
as an inmate-can get cheerful room
overlooking the still quiet of Washington
square, one of the few localities in the
city on whose old time state and dignity
the modern march of trade has hardly
begun 10 encroach.
Next this in size, and think, perhaps,
in age, is the Business w omen's Union in
Brooklyn-for the two cities in such re-
spects are practically one-which has
been some fifteen years In operation, and
accommodates about eighty selt-support-
ing women at rates varying from So 20 TO
So 25 per week. This Brooklyn Union,
which was established by the Brooklyn's
Woman Club, may challenge any of its
neighbo rs for intelligence of management,
having we'll selected library for the
use of it's guests, and having established
an educated women's employment bureau
which is one OF the very few OF its sort in
the country.
or the newer institutions which the
growing demand OF the last half dozen
years has called into existence me of the
pleasantest, least hampered by traditions,
least numbered by rules, is the Laura
Home, 100 Second avenue, New York.
The Rev. ID. q. Potter founded 1t to serve
as a home-like shelter for yodng girls
while fitting themselves for self-suppOrt,
and here at cost of from So TO So a week
the big housetul OF girls feel themselves
really members Of family, at home and
at rest.
No. 4T9 West Twenty-second street is
the location of another small boarding
house for the omnipresent girl, ana yet
another establishment is the Girls En-
deavor Club. at 2S6 West Fourth street.
This last institution is not a boarding
house proper, but assists the young wo-
man whose dollars are precious to indulge